Friday, January 28, 2005

This blog may be changing to The Eviction Chronicles

Following is the stern letter we've left for our building manager. I wrote it intending to edit it severely, but Will thought it was good as is, and who am I to argue?

January 28, 2005

To Whom It May Concern:

We (William and Annika K) have lived in [Apartment number] at [name of building] since February 1st, 2003. Since October 18, 2004 we have had to call maintenance several times because of leaks in our ceiling. We understand that the amount of rain has been excessive and somewhat unexpected, but we feel that we have a right to expect that, in the nearly five months since the problems began, something would have been done to fix the roof and/or ceiling and eliminate the problem. The leaks are getting worse as time goes by. They have not been repaired, nor have we been told if there are any plans to repair them.

Several of our belongings have been damaged. Thus far nothing has been destroyed, but we are somewhat on edge, which is not a nice way to feel in one�s home. Today the bulbs in our lamp exploded from having water drip on them. There is glass all over the living room. This is a danger that could have been avoided had something been done to fix the problem.

We are tired of using our pots, pans and towels to collect water; they have purposes for which they are intended and we would like to use them in those fashions without having to disinfect them. We are tired of moving our furniture every time it rains; we like our furniture where it is. We are tired of worrying about our audio-visual equipment. And mostly, we are tired of paying rent for the privilege of fearing the destruction of our worldly possessions.

There are cracks and discoloration on our ceiling from water damage. This is both unsightly and nerve-wracking, as we fear that we may have something worse than water (such as the roof) falling into our home.

Most worrying is the mold that is growing on our walls and in the faux fireplace. This is a serious health risk.

We insist that permanent repairs be made.

In addition, something must be done about the tar that was poorly applied to our front balcony. The rains have spread it over the concrete and some of it has made its way onto our carpet. We will do our best to clean the carpet but it should not have been an issue in the first place.

We would like some sort of compensation for the state of our living space. Immediate repairs must happen. If we have not witnessed reasonable attempts to fix our ceiling and repair the damage done by the leaks by February 15, we will seek legal counsel.

We seek assurance, in writing, of your plan to make these repairs.

Thank you.

William K
Annika K

As angry and worried as I am, I think the whole thing is totally hilarious.